Duration of the online course: 9 hours and 26 minutes
New
Play your first chords, tunes and riffs with a free online guitar course—learn tuning, strumming, tab reading and more, plus optional certificate-ready skills.
In this free course, learn about
How to choose between acoustic and electric guitars and pick a suitable first instrument
Guitar anatomy and the three main components; correct posture and holding the guitar
How to tune in standard EADGBE (by ear/self-tuning) and use reference notes
Why and how to practice with a metronome; counting 4/4 and handling rests
How to read chord charts/diagrams and place fretting fingers for clean chords
Pick choice and grip; beginner strumming technique for smooth, clear sound
Play first open chords, simple 2-chord songs, and manage chord changes efficiently
How to read guitar tablature: string lines, 0=open string, repeats, and nested repeats
Play G major scale; build stretching and speed with proper thumb position and technique
Learn G minor natural, harmonic, and pentatonic scales; left-hand approach for patterns
Play beginner riffs and melodies (e.g., Rumble, Del Mar) and add dynamics to single notes
Blues scale positions and first steps to improvisation with backing tracks
Barre chords (E- and A-string rooted), including making 7th chords and locating roots
Starting guitar can feel confusing: choosing an instrument, keeping it in tune, placing your fingers correctly, and making clean chord changes all at once. This beginner-friendly classical guitar course guides you step by step so you can build real playing habits from day one, even if you have never held a guitar before. You will learn how to get set up properly, understand what the parts of the guitar do, and develop the essentials that make practice smoother and progress faster.
Instead of guessing, you will train your ear and your routine with practical tuning references, clear timing work using a metronome, and simple tools for reading chord diagrams and guitar tablature. With these foundations in place, you will move from your first easy chords to strumming patterns that sound musical, not messy. You will also learn how to approach chord transitions so they feel achievable, helping you play through songs with more confidence and fewer pauses.
As your coordination improves, the course expands your vocabulary with core scales and patterns that show up everywhere in music, including major, natural minor, harmonic minor and pentatonic shapes. You will begin exploring melody and lead playing through approachable riffs and Spanish-style pieces that develop touch, tone and dynamics, plus a first look at blues and improvisation using backing tracks so you can start creating your own phrases rather than only memorizing notes.
You will also gain useful musical knowledge that supports long-term growth: note names on the fretboard, sharps and flats, repeat signs, and the logic behind chords like triads, inversions and 7th chords, along with practical barre chord shapes. Technique lessons on hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides help you make lines smoother and more expressive. By the end, you will have a solid practice framework and the skills to keep learning songs independently, whether you want to play for enjoyment, perform for friends, or take the next step in your music journey.
Course content
Video class: Learn how to play the guitar for FREE. The GCH Guitar Academy First Steps beginners guitar course12m
Exercise: After registering and logging in to the GCH Guitar Academy download area, where can beginners find the backing tracks for the First Steps guitar course
Video class: Choosing my first guitar, a beginners guide to guitar types - Lesson 1, of a beginners guitar course17m
Exercise: Acoustic vs Electric: Key Difference
Video class: Guitar anatomy explained, what the parts of a guitar are called - First steps guitar course16m
Exercise: Which set correctly names the three main components of a guitar
Video class: How to tune a guitar for beginners. An easy guitar lesson for tuning a guitar29m
Exercise: When tuning a guitar to itself in standard tuning, which fret on the G string matches the open B string?
Video class: notes, to tune a guitar. Guitar tuning extra long reference notes E A D G B E13m
Video class: what is a metronomes, why you need a metronome, the choice of metronomes15m
Exercise: Why should a beginner guitarist practice with a metronome?
Video class: Beginners guitar lesson. How to read a guitar chord chart, chord map, chord diagram10m
Exercise: Where should you place your fretting finger relative to the two fret wires when forming a chord
Video class: How to hold a pick or plectrum. How to choose a pick or plectrum and how to use it correctly11m
Exercise: Strumming Technique: What should a beginner do with the pick for smooth, clear sound?
Video class: How to play your first easy guitar chords, guitar lesson. Easy absolute beginners guitar course32m
Exercise: Which string should you avoid when strumming a C major chord?
Video class: a very easy guitar tune to play, only 2 chords. Absolute beginners guitar course27m
Exercise: Identify the time signature used when strumming the beginner tune with C and G7
Video class: Guitar lesson. Play your first chord tunes, She'll be comin' 'round the mountain06m
Exercise: In 4 over 4 time, how many beats are in each bar
Video class: How to play Hey Jude on guitar with easy chords, beginners guitar lesson06m
Exercise: How should a beginner play a 4-beat bar that shows two chords?
Video class: chord changes made easy (how to speed up guitar chords changes) - First Steps Guitar35m
Exercise: Best fingering for a smooth change from C major to G major
Video class: How to read guitar tabs for beginners (guitar lesson on tablature or tab)04m
Exercise: Reading Guitar Tablature: Meaning of 0 on Top Line
Video class: How to play the G major scale on a guitar - Beginners guitar lesson02m
Exercise: Best practice to improve finger stretching while playing the G major scale
Video class: G minor harmonic scale - Learn to play the G minor harmonic scale on the guitar01m
Exercise: G minor harmonic scale: first three notes on the low E string
Video class: How to play faster guitar16m
Exercise: Which thumb position best improves fretting reach for beginner scales?
Video class: G minor natural scale - Learn to play the G minor natural scale on the guitar02m
Exercise: G minor natural scale starting notes on the bottom E string
Video class: The 'G' minor pentatonic scale - Learn to play the pentatonic scale on the guitar02m
Exercise: G minor pentatonic: first two notes on the bottom E string
Video class: Rumble by Link Wray - The coolest easy guitar riff06m
Exercise: In the GCH Guitar Academy first steps course, what should a beginner do first before learning a new tune?
Video class: How to play Rumble by Link Wray. Easy, beginners guitar lesson49m
Exercise: Best left-hand approach for beginner pentatonic patterns
Video class: Romantic, Spanish guitar tune. Del Mar by Sad Fantasy an instrumental tune with a holiday feel11m
Exercise: Beginner techniques to add dynamics to a single note melody
Video class: easy beginners guitar lesson. How to play the Spanish style guitar tune Del Mar by Sad Fantasy1h08m
Exercise: Best way to count multiple bars of rest in 4/4
Video class: Guitar lesson 1 of 9. How to play blues scales. (how to guitar solo)04m
Exercise: Which frets are played on the G string in position one of the A blues scale?
Video class: Guitar lesson 2 of 9. How to play blues scales. (how to guitar solo)05m
Exercise: What is the recommended first step before improvising blues on guitar?
Video class: Guitar lesson 3. Blues improvisation backing tracks. (Backings to improvise with)13m
Video class: How to play guitar barre chords. E string rooted or first position, beginners guitar lesson04m
Exercise: From the E string rooted major barre chord shape, how do you create the seventh chord?
Video class: How to play guitar chords or scale, how to hold a guitar correctly, important guitar lesson.18m
Exercise: Which thumb position best improves finger reach for beginner chords and scales
Video class: Guitar chord theory 1 - Major and minor chord structure, triads and inversions11m
Exercise: Which notes form the triad for a C major chord?
Video class: Repeats in music and guitar tab (tablature) - How to read and use repeat symbols02m
Exercise: Understanding nested repeat symbols in music notation
Video class: The guitar scale every guitarists should learn - How to play the Major scale on guitar (fixed)29m
Exercise: Which interval pattern defines the major scale on guitar
Video class: How to improvise on the major scale - Guitar lesson using the C major scale04m
Exercise: When improvising with a backing track using the two octave major scale, what is essential to ensure?
Video class: Backing tracks to improvise with - use the C major scale or A minor scale12m
Video class: MIDI a beginners guide. What is MIDI, how to use MIDI, do I need MIDI19m
Exercise: For a beginner guitarist using MIDI with a multi effects or virtual instruments, what does the MIDI signal actually transmit?
Video class: A string rooted guitar barre chords - learn how to play 2nd position barre chords07m
Exercise: On which fret would you place the second position major shape to play D major when the root is on the A string
Video class: Guitar chord theory 2 - 7th chords,dominant seventh chords on guitar04m
Exercise: Which set of notes correctly forms a C major 7th chord?
Video class: Guitar note names - learn the names of the notes on a guitar in 4 easy steps07m
Exercise: Which pairs of natural notes are a semitone apart on the guitar fretboard
Video class: Sharps and flats on the guitar. What are sharps and flats on a guitar (guitar # and b)05m
Exercise: On guitar, what does adding a sharp to a note mean?
Video class: How to play a hammer on on the guitar (guitar hammer on)03m
Exercise: How do you correctly perform a hammer on from fret 5 to 7 on the top E string
Video class: How to play pull offs on a guitar LEFT HANDED (pulling off guitar lesson 1)03m
Exercise: In guitar tablature, what does the letter p above a slur between two fret numbers indicate?
Video class: How to play a slide on guitar (beginners guitar lesson on slides)05m
Exercise: In guitar tablature, what does a slide with a slur line indicate about picking?
Video class: How to play pull offs on a guitar (pulling off guitar lesson 1)03m
Exercise: In beginner guitar tablature, what does the letter p above a slur indicate and how is the note produced?
